Coral Williams (left) is the returning ace pitcher for preseason No. 1 Norco. At right is Rylee Silva, the returning ace pitcher for preseason No. 2 Orange Lutheran. Photos: Instagram.com & OLuAthletics.com.
We have done softball state rankings back to 1985 and are beginning 2026 with a familiar name at the top. That’s a few years longer than Rick Robinson has been coaching in the sport and his squad at Norco looks loaded as the season gets going. A few teams may have already played a game or two as these rankings are released and we’ll catch up on anything missed in the first regular season rankings. The top four teams, including Del Oro of Loomis for the first time, will be this year’s Michelle Carew Classic.
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Note: The dates for this year’s Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz., which will be the 30th year of the event, are March 5-7. The Michelle Carew Classic, hosted by Canyon High of Anaheim for many years, will be held from April 1 to April 4 (ending on the Saturday before Easter). The 31st annual Livermore Stampede will be held the following weekend from April 9-11 at Ernie Rodrigues Fields in Livermore.
CAL-HI SPORTS PRESEASON
STATE TOP 25 SOFTBALL RANKINGS
(Listed with win-loss record from 2025 season)
1. Norco 29-3
Last season’s State Team of the Year and CIF Southern Section D1 champions are a no-brainer choice to be at the top of the rankings to start the 2026 season. Head coach Rick Robinson has that combo of pitching and a deep offensive lineup that will make the Cougars hard to beat. We almost picked returning junior pitcher Coral Williams as the State Player of the Year, but she was the State Sophomore of the Year. Williams took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the CIFSS D1 championship vs El Modena of Orange and ended with a one-hitter and nine strikeouts. She also went 17-0 on the season with 0.70 ERA with 152 strikeouts in 110 innings. That’s not a lot of games for an ace like Coral, but Robinson also had another top pitcher in Peyton May and guess what Peyton is back this season as well. May has signed with Oklahoma State. The Cougars have some players to replace such as Tamryn Shorter and Ashley Duran, but junior shorstop Leighton Gray is back after batting .435 with eight homers and 19 RBI. Leighton, considered one of the top 10 Class of 2027 prospects in the nation, has committed to Texas A&M. Robinson starts the year with 728 career wins since his first season at Corona Centennial in 1994 and has a good chance to move up to sixth on the all-time state list by the end of this season.
2. Lutheran (Orange) 22-6
Another of the state’s all-time coaching leaders is OLu’s Steve Miklos, who we have with 585 wins since 1998, and is likely to reach his 600th milestone win this season. Miklos is going to miss four-year all-state standout Kai Minor, now at Oklahoma, but also should have a top-notch pitching combo similar to Norco. Sophomore Rylie Silva was the co-pitcher of the year as a freshman in the Trinity League while senior Jo Marsh is headed to UCLA on a scholarship. The Lancers, who have been selected at No. 1 to start the season in Orange County, have all-state junior Sierra Nichols back at second base (who has signed with Idaho State) plus shortstop Madelyn Armendariz (who has signed with Ole Miss). Senior Morgan Fitzpatrick also has come on board as a transfer from Los Alamitos. She has signed with Notre Dame.
Mikayla Finn delivers pitch as a sophomore last season for NorCal D1 champion Del Oro of Loomis. Photo: Jordan Georgeson / Gold Country Media.
3. Del Oro (Loomis) 31-2
We’ll keep this coaching angle going with Del Oro’s Sean Erickson, who was our 2025 State Coach of the Year after the Golden Eagles won the CIF NorCal D1 championship. The difference for Del Oro compared to past seasons is that this year Erickson is taking the team to Southern California to play in the prestigious Michelle Carew Classic (which also will include Norco, Orange Lutheran and preseason No. 4 Mater Dei Catholic). The Golden Eagles figure to be led by junior pitcher Mikayla Finn, who had 210 strikeouts as a sophomore and won 21 games. Senior Chloe Champas also is back after earning second team all-state overall honors. Junior Avyn Brower (infield) has committed to Oregon State while sophomores Emma Johnson and Caelyn Campos return after hitting above .400 as freshmen.
4. Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) 27-7
The Crusaders are coming into the season as heavy favorites to repeat as CIF San Diego Section Open Division champions. They also beat CIFSS D1 runnerup El Modena to win the CIF SoCal D1 championship but El Modena did have some missing players. Regardless, it’s all looking good for MD Catholic. Junior Arri Romero is one of the top-ranked Class of 2027 players in the nation. She went 24-4 in the circle last season with a 1.62 ERA and drove in 31 runs on offense. The team’s top four hitters also return. Junior utility player Charlize Masingale has committed to UCLA, junior infielder Maya Matthies made the all-state juniors team and senior Bella Harris had a team-best 33 runs scored plus 43 hits (second on the team behind Romero with 50 hits).
5. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 26-4
Yes, we could have put Oak Ridge right behind Del Oro the way that those two squads battled each other in the Sierra Foothill League and beyond last season, but decided to stick another top team in between them. They played four times and split with Del Oro winning in the NorCal final after Oak Ridge had won in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 final. Both Del Oro and Oak Ridge have solid returnees, but Del Oro returns its No. 1 pitcher while Oak Ridge does not. Still, the Trojans have Loyola Marymount-bound Kennedi Freeland back to lead the pitching. They also have one of the top catchers in the state with Brooklyn Paratore, who hit .517 last season. Emery Glaser returns as well with a .465 average.
6. Destiny Christian (Sacramento) 21-2
This team faltered in the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs last year, otherwise it could have started a few spots higher. While the Lions wouldn’t be in the same CIF Sac-Joaquin Section divisional playoffs as Del Oro or Oak Ridge, they could be placed if warranted in the CIF NorCal D1 bracket. They could be warranted with Junior State Player of the Year Ayla Tuua leading the way. While her younger brother (a football player) has transferred south to St. John Bosco, her mother, Shannon, is still the Destiny head coach. Ayla has signed with LSU. Also the Gatorade State Player of the Year, she enters the season with 30 career homers, a .505 career batting average, plus a 35-2 pitching mark with a 0.90 ERA and 592 strikeouts in 311 1/3 innings. Other top players also are back for the Lions, including Purdue-bound pitcher Roxanne Sardo plus catcher McKayla Fulmer (.507 batting average, 34 hits).
7. St. Francis (Mountain View) 28-4
The Lancers will not be heading down to the Michelle Carew Classic this season, but they will be looking to win another title at the Livermore Stampede. They’ve been the top program in the Bay Area the past few seasons and there’s no reason to switch for another team. Head coach Mike Oakland still has daughter Jaime Oakland back for her senior year. She has committed to Nebraska. Jaime was the West Catholic Athletic League player of the Year and batted .577. Peyton Tsao (still a junior but committed to Stanford) also returns. She hit .398 last season with seven homers and team-best 50 RBI. Top pitcher Ava Bulanti has graduated to the key for the Lancers will be if senior Hailey Nguyen or sophomore Mercedes Collier is able to fill the top pitching role.
8. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 19-14
Liliana Escobar was the Orange County Pitcher of the Year after her junior season and returns as one of the state’s top pitchers. She missed a lot of starts early on getting eligible from a transfer via Santa Margarita, but was elite late in the season in leading JSerra to the CIFSS D2 title game. Escobar finished 14-5 with a 1.20 ERA and had 239 strikeouts in 140 innings. She also has signed with national power Florida. While the Lions will have to find some offense to step up, they also have another big-time pitcher with junior Abby Ford. She was the State Freshman of the Year two seasons ago, but had some injury issues last season.
Clovis North’s Zoey Thomas will play next for San Diego State. Photo: Instagram.com.
9. Temescal Canyon (Lake Elsinore) 21-6
It was evident at the end of last season that the Titans were going to have a highly ranked team to start this season. They did, after all, reach the CIFSS D1 semifinals with absolutely no seniors on the roster. Pitcher Jessenia Moore (Loyola-Marymount) was the one who got the playoff wins. Junior catcher Nia Hall led the team in hits with 44 and she had 32 RBI. Senior INF Makaila Riggs led the team in RBI with 42 and batted .481. Junior Ciara Babcock led the team in hitting at .552 while junior Brea Tillery had six homers, 30 RBI and batted .488.
10. Clovis North (Fresno) 22-6-1
Head coach Courtney Dale (also the 1995 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year from Bullard of Fresno) has guided the Broncos to back-to-back CIF Central Section D1 titles and has them poised for more. Senior Jocelynn Gonzalez returns after pitching well down the stretch last season and has signed with New Mexico. San Diego State-bound Zoey Thomas also is back to play third base. Junior catcher Riley Grealy is another top-notch returnee.
11. Willow Glen (San Jose) 28-2
This is the team that was 28-0 heading into the CIF Central Coast Section D1 championship before losing in extra innings to St. Francis and then lost in the first round of the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs to Del Oro. Alanna Clincy is back for her fourth season as the ace. Headed to Cal, she has gone 49-8 in her career so far with a 1.06 ERA and 589 strikeouts in 356 1/3 innings. A lot of the offense from last season is gone, so Clincy and the team’s other top returnee, junior outfielder Catalina Medina, will need others to get RBI if the Rams can get over the hump in the CCS.
12. Los Alamitos 21-12
Head coach Rob Weil has now coached more seasons at Los Al than the 16 he had at Pacifica (Garden Grove) and is fifth on the all-time state wins list with 753. The Griffins are coming off of a CIFSS D2 championship that was keyed by the pitching of freshman Jalianne Brooks, who is back for her junior season. Weil also welcomes back the entire outfield, including team captain Alivia Magallanes (signed by East Texas A&M). The infield is where others are going to have to develop.
13. Liberty (Brentwood) 25-5
The Lions look loaded after winning the CIF North Coast Section D1 title. Pitching wise, they’ve got a returning ace with Kate Skinner (Illinois State), who went 17-5 as a junior with 209 strikeouts. The lineup features junior infielder Taylor Jennings, who has committed to Florida, along with senior catcher Isabella Rice. Isabella has signed with San Jose State and led the team last season with 13 homers.
14. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 25-6
We had a hard time picking between the Knights and Oaks Christian to be on top for the San Fernando Valley/Ventura County region. We went with Notre Dame but have Oaks Christian right behind. Head coach Justin Siegel returns the entire team except one player and that was a team that upset Orange Lutheran in the CIFSS D1 playoffs before falling in the quarterfinals. Senior P/INF Aliyah Garcia (Oklahoma State) went 16-4 as a pitcher last season with 104 strikeouts. She also batted .465. Senior INF Nadia Ledon (Loyola Marymount) hit .490 with six homers and scored 44 runs. Sophomore OF/1B Jackie Morales set a school record with 46 RBI, hit eight homers and hit three homers in a CIFSS playoff game. Senior 1B Charley Tapia (Occidental) and senior INF Ellayne Tellez (Longwood) are others to watch.
Utah State-bound Gianna Garcia had a .354 batting average last season for Oaks Christian. Photo: oakschristianlions / Instagram.com.
15. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 21-5
A ton of top returning players are back at Oaks Christian, which should help the team get back up higher among the state’s top teams after slipping to 32nd last year in our final expanded State TOP 40. Senior outfielder Terrianna Kelley was on the all-state juniors team and has signed with BYU. Junior catcher Giabella Otani was one of the region’s top sophomores, senior INF Gianna Garcia (Utah State) batted .354 and junior P/1B Sophia Debs will be looking to improve as the top returning pitcher.
16. Rocklin 22-7
After Del Oro and Oak Ridge are starting out in the top five from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section’s almost comically loaded Sierra Foothill League, the next two from the SFL also are landing in the preseason State TOP 25. Those two are rival schools Rocklin and Whitney of Rocklin. We’re going with Rocklin higher to start with junior pitching star Payton Prior (1.63) plus others as returnees. Savannah Lorenzini (Coastal Carolina) is one of those with a .430 batting average while another is outfielder Cat Alston (committed to Iowa).
17. Fullerton 21-8
Pitcher/first base Malaya Majam-Finch is just one of the top players returning for the Indians. She’s the niece of softball legend Jennie Finch and has signed with Oklahoma. Malaya has a .447 career batting average over the past three seasons with 61 RBI. She’s gone 14-7 as a pitcher with a 1.45 ERA. Fullerton also has another top pitcher back in junior Katelynn Mathews (1.27 ERA). Outfielder Hayley Brock is another top returnee with a .392 average and has signed with Utah State. A key transfer from Brea Olinda could be infielder Soleil Luna (UNLV).
18. La Mirada 25-5
Right behind Fullerton we’re going to start the alma mater of Jennie Finch (mentioned above). The Matadors also are the easy choice to be the top team to start from the San Gabriel Valley region of the CIFSS. The fun part of their returning lineup is sisters Reese Hilliard (shortstop) and Riley Hilliard (catcher), who are both headed to Stanford. La Mirada also has junior pitcher Allison Ortega, the San Gabriel Valley pitcher of the year. The most impressive aspect to her, though, is that she’s going to Harvard.
19. Whitney (Rocklin) 24-10
The fourth team in line from the power-packed Sierra Foothill League of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, with a little luck, could be close to the other three. The Wildcats won the SJS D2 title last season and have all of their pitching back. The leader of that group was sophomore Taylor Cordell, who went 16-5 with a 2.84 ERA as a freshman. Graduated star Tylie Kitchen already hitting big homers at San Diego State and needs her bat replaced. The two top returning hitters are senior Brooklyn Steele (.400) and sophomore Bri Seffens (.371).
20. El Modena (Orange) 23-10
This is the team that was runner-up to Norco in the CIFSS D1 playoffs, then lost to Mater Dei Catholic in the CIFSoCal D1 championship. There are some key players back, but according to the Orange County Register a hand injury is going to keep Oregon-bound 3B Kylie Tafua sidelined for awhile. Catcher Parker Mayes also is out with a back injury. Pitcher Ashley Driskill (Univ. of San Diego) and OF Jocelyn Alatorre (Kansas) are also on the list of returnees.
21. Buchanan (Clovis) 23-10
The Bears were the runner-up squad last season to Clovis North in the CIF Central Section D1 playoffs and have some top-end talent coming back. Sophomore pitcher Brooklyn Ainsworth became a force late in the season as a freshman and could have an even bigger impact this season. OF Harmony McMurry (Cal State Northridge) is the top returnee from the lineup. She hit five homers in 2025.
The pitching standout for Point Loma of San Diego in its drive to the CIF SoCal D2 regional title was sophomore Ella Poulin. Photo: Point Loma HS Athletics / MaxPreps.com.
22. Point Loma (San Diego) 28-6-1
Looking for a No. 2 team to start out of the CIF San Diego Section behind Mater Dei Catholic wasn’t easy, but we settled on the Pointers. They won their school’s first ever divisional section title last season and then took the CIF SoCal D3 title. Almost everyone is back, led by sisters Leyton and Avery MacPherson. Leyton, a junior committed to UC Santa Barbara, had six homers, 32 RBI and 36 hits last season. Avery, a senior catcher, led the team in hits with 39. Sophomore pitcher/first base Ella Poulin also returns after showing what she can do in pressure situations.
23. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 14-8-1
There were only two seniors on the roster last season for the Monarchs, who figure to once again battle it out with Archbishop Mitty in the West Catholic Athletic League and in the CIF Central Coast Section. All-State second team pitcher Kyleigh Mace leads the cast and has signed with BYU. The position players returning include sophomore Rylie Hicks, who hit .390 as a freshman.
24. Tracy 28-3
The only aspect of the Bulldogs that held us back from a higher ranking is the graduation loss of ace pitcher Elisa Galli. Junior Hayden Fell did go 10-0 in 71 1/3 innings, however, and may fill that role. Fell (committed to Long Beach State) also hit .505 with 14 homers and 58 RBI last season. Tracy also welcomes back two big-timers in senior INF Emalee Cargill and junior OF Taylor Sansaver. Cargill, signed with Cal, had 60 hits with a .600 average and 52 runs as a junior. Sansaver, committed to Arizona, batted .520 with 53 hits, 45 runs and 30 RBI.
25. Marina (Huntington Beach) 19-13
The Vikings have another of the top pitchers in Southern California with senior Mia Valbuena, who is D1 bound for Michigan. Mia had a 1.88 ERA last season. Her twin sister, Avi, is going to Chattanooga. She pitches and plays first base and batted .397 last season. Catcher Gabriella DiBenedetto (a Maryland signer who led the team with a .444 batting average) is another of the players back at Marina.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 24-7
Central Catholic (Modesto) 26-7
Central East (Fresno) 23-4-1
Del Norte (San Diego) 18-10
Etiwanda 23-4
Granada Hills Charter (Granada Hills) 28-3
Hillsdale (San Mateo) 21-9
King’s Academy (Sunnyvale) 22-8
La Habra 22-8
Livermore 19-11
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 20-7
Mission Hills (San Marcos) 14-12
Pacifica (Garden Grove) 15-12
Palos Verdes (PV Estates) 21-8
Rio Mesa (Oxnard) 16-10
Roosevelt (Eastvale) 19-9-1
Valley View (Moreno Valley) 24-5
Vanden (Fairfield) 21-5
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle:
